This gamble would pay off, and to further boost productivity, the CEO successfully recruited Dr. Rory McClellan away from his military contracting job. Though it cost the company a tidy sum, he rightly believed that with McClellan at the helm, the company will deliver early.[4] The company got its second chance and ended 2075 on a high note: They were on schedule, under budget, and both the deep range transmitter and the XMB Booster were in full development.[2]

However, problems arose in March, 2076. The USSA mandated a strict weight allowance for the booster rocket, one that the company exceeded by a few hundred tons due to the uranium refinement module.[5][6] Although the USSA agreed to an extension on the deadline, they began their public relations campaign on time in July 2076, two years ahead of the launch. Reinhardt found himself in a waking nightmare, forced to give interviews and answer questions he couldn't really give a binding answer to.[7] Finally, Dr. McClellan's team finally solved the XMB's weight problem in November, coming in at just 17 pounds under the weight limit and leaving them time to polish off their work and set it up for the first test fire, which was scheduled for early in the next year.[8][9]

The successful test resulted in a major PR offensive, culminating in a major photo shoot in February to commemorate the first full test fire. Things did not go as planned, however. The original plan called for reporters to stay behind the thermoglass window in the control room while they took their pictures as Dr. McClellan gave them a short explanation of how the booster works.[10] The entire event was ruined to a fatal security breach: A reporter sneaked past the new security measures and into the engine core a few hours early, just as Dr. McClellan was running a quick test on the booster, to ensure it worked for the photo shoot. Its successful test firing incinerated the photographer. Unwilling to let any workplace mishap destroy his company and reputation, the CEO Reinhardt had his head of security, Sam Brent take care of the remains. As Brent was was hired to deal with these delicate situations in the first place, the incident was quickly covered up,[11][12] at least at first. Removing the evidence was easy due to no one actually seeing the accident. The subsequent abrupt cancellation of the photo shoot only hours before it occurred raised some eyebrows, although no one had cause to look into the matter any farther.[13]

By September 2077 the unrest overseas made the USSA nervous about proceeding with the Mars Shot Project, telling their contractors that they were going to have to delay a year or more depending on what happened. The company would survive, thanks to the proceeds from the completed Deep Range Transmitter project. By October, however, the decline in morale of the worksers became apparent, as the world was literally falling apart around them, hoping that the government would work things out and they can all get back to work.[14] This of course didn't come to pass; their workers were being drafted into the war effort[15] and their dirty little conspiracy about the unfortunately scorched reporter was discovered by none other than Dr. McClellan when he was reviewing test fire recordings. Reinhardt threatened him and his family, but McClellan was determined to go public with the recording. Unfortunately for both, the Great War soon reduced to world to cinders, destroying the company along with it.[16]

The company was divided into several units, with the most prominent being the ArcJet Propulsion Division, working on the XMB booster project.[15] Unfortunately for employees of ArcJet, the loose labor regulations allowed the CEO to mandate seven day working weeks, leaving them with next to no private life.[17]

Always conscious of the need for secrecy and security, the CEO had the security team implement an entirely new security strategy for the ArcJet complex after the USSA contract was secured. This included doubling the coverage 24 hours a day, and installing automated countermeasures inside the facility, including the doorway outside the CEO's office..[18] An outside consultant was also brought in to figure out a better security password system for their terminals since their automated reset timer mailing out passwords was a severe security breach of the highest order.[19][20] The new automated password policy mandated changes on a monthly basis, with severe penalties for failing to do so, including automated changes, the suspension of network privileges, and/or disciplinary action.[21] As a failsafe, the system would automatically change it after three months.[22]

Employees were required to wear new identification badges at all times. They were infused with a low-yield radioactive isotope as a crude form of IFF to prevent the new internal security turrets from accidentally firing upon employees. The company modified its regulations to ensure that any liability for fatal shootings in these cases would not fall upon them. In short, anyone caught near the entrance to the engine core without a badge only had themselves to blame.[23]

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